Blast furnace discharge structure



y 1949- A. MOHR, JR., ET AL 2,476,889

BLAST FURNACE DISCHARGE STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 25, 1946- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR I July 19, 1949. A. MOHR, JR., ET AL BLAST FURNACE DISCHARGE STRUCTURE 2. Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 25. 1946 INVENTORS werf A/okru/r? gym/7M g.

/M/ v um Patented July 19, 1949 U'NITBD STATES PATENT 'OFFICE- nms'r FURNACE mscnanoa STRUCTURE mam mm, Jr., and John r. Grllll, Chicago, n1. Application October 25, 1946, Serial No. 705,618

12 Claims. 1

The current invention pertains to certain structural betterments and resulting accompanying functional advantages in a novel construction for the hearth portion of an iron blast-furnace which includes the provision of' the slag-discharge conduit cooler, or so-called cinder-notch cooler,

with an adapter, conformer, or regulator block or member to'allow variations in the degree of elevation between the center-line of such slag-tube cooler and the center-line of the metal-discharge conduit or generally styled "iron-notch."

At the present time, an iron blast-furnace produces as much as 1500 tons of iron daily and these furnaces usually remain in operation for aperiod as long as five years, 1

As all of: the material in the hearth portion of a blast-furnace is either in molten condition or in an incandescent state, it creates substantial wear of the lining of the hearth, the molten matter causing reactions with the refractory materials in the hearth and the incandescent abrasive coke producing wear on the lining.

The usual or customary fixed distance between the lower level of the iron-discharge notch and the higherelevation oi the cinder-discharge notch would be'satisfactory provided none of the indicated wear toolrlplace in the crucible, but, as the hearth is progressively fluxed and gradually eroded away, the volumetric capacity between the cinder-notch and the iron-notch becomes increasingly greater, and, in a relatively short time, the cinder-notch is at such a level that it does not draw of from the crucible a suflicient-or adequate amount of the'molten floating slag.

This results in wild,.or too fast or irregular,

casts of iron and makes itimpossible to main- .tain a proper tapping hole, because the latter is made of fire-clay and the molten slag fluxes the fire-clay out and makes the hole so large that it is diflicult to separate the iron from the slag and to have an orderly cast. i

Where some oi the slagis drawn oi! from the iron-notch= rather than from the cinder-notch there have been many cases known in which, due to the large slag volume passing through the tapping hole, all of the brick-work at the face of the tapping hole was finally burned out and this, in time, resulted in very dangerous and costly breakouts around the tapping hole.

Accordingly, one outstanding object or paramount aim of the present invention is to provide simple and eflicient means to overcome these substantial and in cases hazardous disadvantages, and this is accomplished by the employment of the new adapter means so that, when the furnace is new, the cinder-notch can be placed at a suitably high elevation with such adapter positioned below it, and, when the furnace is old and the cross-section of the hearth has become enlarged, as indicated above, this cinder-notch or slag-delivery conduit can be placed at one or more lower levels by using the specified conformer means in the manner indicated hereinafter.

This decreases the height between the sla discharge .duct or pipe and the iron-notch and thereby establishes relations in elevation which will maintain a sufficient volume of molten slag to be withdrawn through the cinder-notch before the molten iron is discharged.

In order that those acquainted with this art may have a full understanding of this innovatory invention and the benefits accruing from its employment, two preferred embodiments thereof have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and have been described below in detail.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary, central, vertical section through the wall of the hearth portion of an iron blast-furnace showing its passage therethrough accommodatingits. cooled cinder-notch or slag-discharge conduit with its associated novel adapter or elevation control block;

Figure 2 is an elevation of the inner surface of such portion of the furnace;

Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2 but with the slag-discharge conduit and its of Figure 'l;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary, central, vertical, longitudinal section through the slag-discharge conduit or cinder-notch; v

Figure 10 is a cross-section on line l0l0 of Figure 9;

Figure 11 is an isometric projection of the adapter illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive on a smaller scale than that'of Figures 9 and 10;

surface v 3 I Figure 12 is a part-plan and partial section of the adapter of Figure 11, but on a larger scale; Figure 13 isa perspective view of one of the two companion adapters shown in Figures to 8 inclusive; and 1 Figure 14 is a partial plan-view and a partial section of the adapter portrayed in Figure 13,

but on a larger scale.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, this slag-discharge portion of .the brick furnace-wall has a uniformly longitudinally tapered passage or aperture 2| therethrough defined by suitable bricks 22, the top and bottom surfaces 23 and 24 of which passage haveinner,

uniformly, lengthwise tapered, transversely curved, surfaces of like size and shape with the intermediate vertical sections 26, 2' plane or external inlet 26 and discharging from the coil through the outlet 20.

At any vertical, transverse, cross-section through such member 26 both the external and internal surfaces thereof are circular although both taper lengthwise so that the outer face of element 26 conforms exactly to the top, inner 22 of passage 2| through the wall.

- Maintaining or supporting such tubular part 26in the elevated relation presented in Figures 1 and 2 is a transversely-curved metal adapter ll of the shape and style shown in Figures 11 and 12, such member having embedded therein a pair of metal pipes 22 and 33 with external inlet and outlet connections 24, IS and 36, 31 whereby cooling water may be pumped through either one or both of them to additionally cool the superimposed notch-cooler 26.

As is clearly depicted, the lengthwise tapered, top, concave surface 38 of element 3| is the exact counterpart of the convex undersurface of member 26 with which it is in direct engagement and intimate contact, throughout, and the under longitudinally tapered, convex, arcuate surface I a of the adapter conforms exactly to the inner concave, sloping surface 24 of the passage 2| on which it rests to support the duct 26 above.

Thus, the two associated metal members 26 and 3| in the aperture 2| practically completely fili the latter.

Now, as the adjacent hearth portion of the furnace gradually internally increases or enlarges in volume, for the reasons indicated above, so that the location of the slag-pipe 26 is too high to properly perform its required slag-drainage function efliciently, the adapter 3| is temporarily removed from passage 2|, the conduit 26 lowered to the bottom of such. passage 2|, which it then snugly fits, and the adapter is inverted and reinserted in the passage above theconduit which space it closely fits to effectively perform its cooling function, this arrangement being portrayed in Figures 3 and 4, and in which relation the slag-conduit is at a suitable level to adequately. do its work of delivering the molten slag.

modification, the

Obviously, in making this nsms o connections to the coolingpipes in both members have to be changed to comply with their new positions.

From what precedesfit will be clear that the which it receives from the adapter regardless-of which of its two positions it occupies.

In case it is desired to provide three different levels or elevationsfor the cinder-notch cooler 26 instead of two such positions, this can be readily accomplished by making the adapter in two parts or sectionsof like structure, shape and size, as presented in Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 13 and 14. -Such adapter structure is composed of two, transversely-curved. cooling-pipe-equipped like members 4| 4| which may be used in superposed relation under the cinder-notch cooler 26,

as shown in-Figure 5, or with one member below and the other above such conduit 26, as presented in Figure '7, or with both parts in positionabove the element 28, as depicted in Figure 6, thus affording three difi'erentpositions of the conduit depending upon the locations of the parts of the adapter. 1

It is noted that each of this pair of members,

' 4|, 4|, has its one concave surface shaped both lengthwise and crosswise to conform closely to the exterior surface of the conduit 26 and has 30 its opposite convex surface shaped to accurately fit either of the like curved surfaces 23 and 24 of the wall passage 2| or exactly fit the concave surface of its companion like member 4|, the

pair of elements 4|, 4| when fitted together, as presented in Figures 5'and 6, being unitedly of the same shape and size as those of the single adaptor 3|. In other words, the duplex adaptor 4|, 4| may be considered as the single adaptor 3| divided into a pair of companion parts 4|, 4|. Obviously, when the two members of the adapter are superposed and in either position of Figures 5 and 6, they are the same in size and shape as the adapter II and perform its function were the latter in their place.

for such smaller adapter members have been designated by the reference characters 42, 42, and, naturally, as the positions of such conforming blocks are changed the connections to their.

pipes will necessarily have to .be modified as required by their new locations.

Those skilled in this art will readily understand that this invention is not necessarily re strlcted and limited to the precise and exact details of structure shown and described and that reasonable modifications may be resorted to without departure from the heart and essence of the invention. 4 so We claim: I 1 v 1. For use in association with a known hollow cinder-notch cooler occupying its passage through the wall of an iron blast-furnace of greater depth than the vertical dimension of :the cooler thus allowing variation of the height location of the latter, a novel adapter designed to occupy said passage either beneath and supporting said cooler in the top'portion of said passage or in inverted condition in the top portion of said passage above the cooler in the bottom portion ofsaid passage, the topand bottom external surfaces of said cooler conforming respectively to the top'v and bottom innersurfaces of. said passage, one .surface of said adapter conforming to both said ex-.

" ternal surfaces of said cooler and the opposite v conduit 26 not only performs its cooling action but this is augmented by the additional cooling In the drawing, the individual cooling pipes surface of said adapter conforming to both said internal surfaces of said passage.

2. The novel adapter set forth in claim 1, in which all of said surfaces are transversely curved alike.

8. The novel adapter set forth in claim 1, in which all of said surfaces are transversely curved alike and longitudinally tapered in equal degree.

4. The novel adapter set forth in claim 1, having means to permit it to be cooled interiorly.

5. The novel adapter set forth in claim 1, in which said cinder-notch cooler and said adapter when combined are of such size as to completely block said passage.

6. The novel adapter set forth in claim 1, in which said adapter is of substantially the same length as said cooler.

7. The novel ,adapter set forth in claim 1, which, whether positioned below or above said cinder-notch cooler, is in direct contact therewith.

8. The novel adapter set forth in claim 1, in which all of said surfaces are transversely curved alike and longitudinally-tapered in equal degree, and in which said adapter whether employed below or above said cinder-notch cooler is in direct contact therewith.

9. For use in association with a known bindernotch cooler occupying its passage through the wall of an iron blast-furnace of greater depth than the vertical dimension of the cooler, thus allowing variation of theheight location of the latter, a novel adapter consisting of .a plurality of like transversely-curved parts designed to be 8 used in superposed relation or individually in said passage either below or above said cindernotch cooler, or in part below and in part above said cinder-notch cooler, to vary the height of the latter in said passage, the top and bottom surfaces of said cooler conforming respectively to the top and bottom surfaces ofsaid passage, one surface of each of said adapter parts conforming to both surfaces of said passage, the opposite surface of each of said adapter parts conforming to the cooler.

10. The novel adapter set forth in claim 9, in which all of said surfaces are transverselycurved alike.

11. The novel adapter set forth in claim 9, in which all of said surfaces are transverselycurved alike and are longitudinally-tapered in equal degree.

12. The novel adapter set forth in claim 9, in which each of said adapter parts has means to permit it to be cooled interiorly.

ALBERT MOHR, Ja. JOHN P. GRIILI.

REFERENCES crran The following references are of record in the -file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS McDonnell Oct. 4, 1932 

